Act Five

THE WILD GOOSE CHASE IS DONE

And so, as the end of the year approaches, I reach the final Act of my odyssey, my gift, my pursuit, my drift. I have been led a Wild Goose Chase indeed, fetching Fletchers from the verdant undergrowth of forests, the deep recesses of libraries, the choke and clamour of city streets and the sad vacancy of winter seasides. But my travels and travails are done, and now I can at last reveal this most splendid, thoughful and complex of potlatch presents, delivered to me one Act at a time by a scupulously anonymous donor over the past five months. New and exciting letters would sporadically arrive on my eager doormat, with ever more challenging instructions. One said little more than 'PR2509.W5'. Oh, the delight with which I finally cracked that code and ran into a wet and windy night to confirm my deduction - quod est demonstrandum! And yet, sworn to secrecy, I found myself unable to communicate the excitement of the hunt, to discuss the latest episode of this epic fetching. More than that, I had been provided with no way to correspond with my 'controller', except via this blog, which I was instructed to complete following each Act. I would upload text and photographs, and then wait, impatiently, for the next communique. My final instruction, providing, as it were, the denouement of my 'play' (for am I not both homo ludens and homo faber, prosumer and spectactor, in this swelling scene?), is to publish the account of this invisible performance for all to see. I hope, then, that you will enjoy these pictures and texts, and perhaps feel inclined both to add your comments and to undertake such uplifting wild goose chases yourself. And to the donor, let me just say Thank You for the gift.